Firing-pin lock for firearms.



No. 862,539. PATENTED AUG. 6, 1907.

F. F. BURTON.

FIRING PIN LOOK FOR FIREARMS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 3, 1907- I i AZ /0 i9 L g q 7/ UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK F. BURTON, OF NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO WINCHESTER REPEATING ARMS CO., OF NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION.

FIRING-PIN LOOK FOR FIREARMS.

/ Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Au 6, 1907.

Application filed May 3, 1907. Serial No. 371,619.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK F. BURTON, a citizen of the United States, residing at New Haven, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Firing-Pin Locks for Firearms; and I do hereby declare the following, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and the letters of reference marked thereon, to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, and which said drawings constitute part of this specification, and represent, in

Figure 1 a broken view in side elevation of a gun provided with my improvement and shown with the breech block in its closed position. Fig. 2 a similar view showing the breech block in its open position.

My invention relates to an improved firing-pin lock for firearms, the object being to prevent any portion of the primer of a high pressure cartridge from being forced back into the firing-pin hole in the front face of the breech block of the gun.

With these ends in view my invention consists in a firing-pin lock having certain details of construction as will be hereinafter described and pointed out in the claims.

In carrying out my invention as herein shown, I employ a locking-dog 2 located in a longitudinal slot 3 formed in the lower face of the rear end of the breech block 4 and mounted upon a pivot 5 passing transversely through the same. For the reception of this dog, I

also form a recess 6 in the lower face of the rear end of the firing-pin '7 which may be of any approved construction and which is provided, as shown, with a re tracting spring 8, though its retraction may be provided for in some other way, if desired. A shoulder 9 located at the forward end of the cut 6 in the pin 7 is engaged by a nose 10 forming the forward end of the dog 2 for positively holding the pin at the limit of its forward or exploding position, the nose 10 being raised into position back of the shoulder 9 by a spring 11 located in a recess 12 in the lower face of the block 4. At its rear end the dog is formed with a rounded tail 13 which rides over the faces 14 and 15 of the hammer 16 for rocking the dog on its pivot so as to disengage its nose 10 from the locking shoulder 9 when the bolt is retracted in opening the gun.

When the gun is fired and the firing-pin 7 is driven forward into its exploding position by the falling of the hammer 16, the nose of the firing pin slightly indents the primer in the cartridge. At this moment the spring 11 lifts the nose 10 of the dog into position for engage- 5Q ment with the shoulder 9 of the firing-pin, whereby the same is positively locked and held with its nose in the indentation in the primer so that no matter how great the back pressure developed by the gases resulting from the explosion of the cartridge, the primer cannot be blown back or deformed so that any portion of it can enter into and foul the small opening 17 formed for the passage of the nose in the face 18 of the breech block 4.

When the gun is opened the rounded tail 13 of the dog 2 rides over the faces 14 and 15 of the hammer 16, whereby the dog is rocked on its pivot 5 and its nose 10 pressed downward against the spring 11 and out of engagement with the locking shoulder 9 of the firing-pin which is then retracted by the spring 8 or by any other means provided for the purpose until the nose of the firing-pin is located within the opening 17 so that it will not project beyond the face 18 of the breech block and endanger the premature explosion of a cartridge by the closing of the gun.

I claim 1. In a firearm, the combination with the breech block thereof, of a firing pin located therein, means for positively holding the firing-pin at the limit of its forward position, and a hammer engaged by the said means for unlocking the firing-pin.

2. In a firearm, the combination with the breech block thereof, of a firing-pin located therein, a locking-dog mounted in the breeclrblock in position to engage with the firing pin for positively locking the same at the limit of its forward movement, and a hammer engaged by the dos, for disengaging the same from the firing-pin.

In testimony whereof, I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

FRANK F. BURTON.

Witnesses DANIEL II. VEADER, THOMAS C. JorINsoN. 

